Vance heads home to ‘O-H-I-O’ to close out 2026 campaign trail

Vice President JD Vance held his final rally of the 2026 campaign cycle in Swanton, Ohio, as Republicans hope to hold the U.S. Senate seat and majority in the upper chamber.“This state made me the man that I am today. It’s where I learned to work hard. It’s where I learned to love my country,” Vance told the crowd. “It’s where I learned that the United States of America is a place where even kids from tough backgrounds can dream big and see those dreams come into reality.”Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) has trailed former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), the Democratic nominee, since June. Brown was carrying a 2.8-point lead over Husted heading into Election Day, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average. THE FOUR SPOILER CANDIDATES WHO COULD DETERMINE SENATE CONTROL IN THE 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONSVance grew up in Middletown, Ohio, and leaned heavily on his background to urge support for Husted, GOP gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, and Derek Merrin, the Republican challenging Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) in the state’s 9th Congressional district.“I find myself now that I’ve got four little kids of my own thinking about what it was a blessing to grow up here, and how important it is that we teach our kids the same lessons that I was fortunate enough to grow up with when I was growing up in the state of Ohio,” the vice president continued. “So when I look out at this crowd, what I see is my own people.”“WILL ELECTION SECURITY BALLOT MEASURES THROW REPUBLICANS A TURNOUT LIFELINE IN 2026?In making the case for the Republican ticket, Vance said his grandfather was a union steelworker who voted for “Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s” Democratic Party.“I hate to say it for a Democrat Party that no longer exists in Washington D.C.,” he stated. “The only game in town for low taxes, for common sense, and for patriotic American values is Vivek’s party. It’s Jon’s party. It’s the Republican Party, and don’t forget it tomorrow.”